The White House says it looks forward to participating in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea, following an ambiguous comment at Thursday’s White House press briefing in which the White House press secretary said no decision had been made about US participation.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that the U.S. “looks forward to participating” in the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
She tweeted that update minutes after saying at a briefing that no official decision had been made.
Her tweet reads: “The U.S. looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. The protection of Americans is our top priority and we are engaged with the South Koreans and other partner nations to secure the venues.”
UPDATE: The U.S. looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. The protection of Americans is our top priority and we are engaged with the South Koreans and other partner nations to secure the venues.
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) December 7, 2017
Heightened tensions on the Korea peninsula have raised safety questions about U.S. participation. Sanders had earlier said “no official decision has been,” but that the American goal was to attend.
Sanders told reporters at a White House briefing that a decision will be made closer to the games’ date.
She says: “I know that the goal is to do so but that’ll be a decision made closer to the time.”
U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley cast doubt on U.S. participation in an interview with Fox News Channel on Wednesday, given the tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
She told Fox News Channel that U.S. participation is “an open question.”
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